Rob and I have bought a small plot in Mid Wales near where we live and the plan is to build a 4-bed energy efficient house. It is going to drive us insane! In the meantime, as a university researcher and trainee archivist I'm going to explore some of the records out there on and effecting self-builds. Wish us luck…

Thursday, 9 February 2012

"We're waiting for the final drawings to be done and while this keeps being pushed back it really can't be long, can it?" Me, previous post.

haha!

Things came to a head last Monday with our design-builder and we have finally walked away. Everyone has been telling us to for a while and we clung on in the hope that all the time Rob has spent on the project wouldn't be wasted - or repeated - but the sub-contracted builder jumped ship because the deadline was too inflexible. It is true that our deadline was inflexible but only because it was agreed on 9 months ago and no contract, schedule, foundations or ordering has been done and we couldn't face having it open ended knowing what we know about getting this guy to do anything...we were hoping the sub-contracted builder would get things started so once he was gone we hit rock bottom.

Anyway, after a couple of days of walking around in a daze we are feeling increasingly better about the future. We've been trying to buy the drawings as they stand but it is looking likely that we'll have to start again and hopefully all the knowledge and people we've been in touch with this far will get us through. It feels as though there is a mountain of work to do but that we can get on with it - or finding out how to do it! - instead of sitting at home worrying about what isn't being done.

The deadline we'd given was the date that we have to move out of the rental we are in so we'll have to find a new place to rent...with 2 cats and 2 dogs...in an accommodation drought! The tenants in my little flat are moving out - congrats to David on his job in Lancaster! - so now we're contemplating living there and having a little caravan out the back for me and the pooches during the day...convoluted but flexible perhaps.

I was a bit dubious about finding someone to rent it for the intervening 4 months but we dropped the rent a lot and after 3 notices in local shops, an email to my department, and a swapshop notice, and it was gone in a day! I've had people contacting me every day since too - so anyone looking for a good buy to let area, head to west Wales!

Here's a pic of us swimming with the flat in the background...at least we'll be by the sea again!

Meanwhile, if I crane my neck I can see our plot from the bus in the mornings (still dark in the evening) and my enthusiasm for it doesn't wane...